Its shops cluster around the High St and Market Hill, offering a quirky diversity of wares including bridal gowns and bicycles. The local cafés/pubs offer a range of dining and refreshments for shoppers and visitors. Historic buildings including the Manor House, the fourteenth-century Olde Mint pub and the former Craven Arms coaching inn which stand out as gems much appreciated.  Free car parking enables visitors to enjoy a longer stay.

Heritage

Heritage is hugely important and valued in this town – the rejuvenated Holy Well, the grade-one listed St James Church  and the elegant Warwick House are all worthy of a visit. Dedicated residents preserve and promote the Cardall Collection – artefacts and documents which encapsulate the town’s history over the last five hundred years. This town was granted a market charter in 1227 and today there is a popular Tuesday market, plus a Farmers’ Market once a month. Crowd-drawing events include the Mop Fair and the Christmas themed markets, as well as regular screenings of the rural cinema and concerts at the Grange Hall.

An opportunity…

In order to thrive and succeed as high streets across the country face increasing competition, the town has an invaluable opportunity to deliver real change to improve the appearance and viability of the town centre. This opportunity arises from the receipt of planning condition funds associated with the new Tesco store. This funding is solely dedicated to a range of town centre improvements including business support, shopfront enhancements, new events and community/visitor services. The main driver behind these changes is the town’s Town Centre Partnership. The partnership provides equal partnership opportunities between business owners, residents, community groups, local authorities and other local services who are responsible for the selection and delivery of robust projects which support the sustainability of the town by increasing footfall, length of stay and spend in the town centre.

What next?

• More about Town of the Week
• Nominate your town by email to jamie.veitch@towns.org.uk
• Visit the Southam Town Council and the Southam Online websites

Supermarkets plan ‘biggest store opening programme in history of retail’

The chief of Action for Market Towns – a charity representing small and market towns throughout the UK, where 20% of the population live – today reacted to new analysis from property analysts CBRE showing that supermarkets are planning their ”biggest store opening programme in the history of retail”.

Plans are to open enough new stores in the years ahead to cover 500 football pitches – with more than 80% of the new space in out-of-town developments.

Chris Wade, Chief Executive of Action for Market Towns, said:

“Continued out-of-town growth is probably the biggest threat to those still healthy high streets in our small towns. The Government-commissioned Portas Review called for an explicit presumption in favour of town centre development.

“Action for Market Towns urges Housing Minister Grant Shapps, with his newly appointed responsibility for reviving town centres, to put this town centre presumption right at the top of his resolutions for 2012 in responding to the Portas Review.”

Press enquiries: Jamie Veitch, 07904 272 200.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Action for Market Towns (AMT) is a national charity committed to the vitality and viability of our small towns.
2. It has a national network of members and works with Town Councils, Community and town partnerships, emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities, and independent  / selected partner businesses.
3. It offers training, consultancy, national advocacy and a range of other services to more than 400 members.
4. AMT’s response to the Portas Review is here
5. For press enquiries please contact Jamie Veitch on 07904 272 200 or email news@towns.org.uk

This report looks in detail at the cards available and wider loyalty scheme options, based on research into successful schemes across the UK.

This guide will be free to download for all until 15 July 2011. It will then be free for members and £25 for non-members.

• Read the full press release about the Local Loyalty Guide

The report – produced by our consultancy arm, amt-i – draws upon AMT’s own detailed benchmarking snapshot of 26 towns, and adds an objective summary of current independent research and debate.

Shops working together – including multiples

Crucially, the report shows examples of towns that have engaged supermarkets and multiple retailers (traders with a countrywide presence that are well-known household names) with positive results.

It also includes a 5-step guide on what councillors, local business owners and town partnerships can do to improve their high streets.

This report will be free to download for all until 1 July 2011. It will then be free for members and £25 for non-members.

• Read the full press release about the Town Centre Comeback report including 5 step guide
• Find out why you should treat your town as a department store

A national charity representing small towns has launched a new report showing how towns and retailers can prosper by working together – including by working with and learning from multiple retailers and supermarkets.

The Town Centre Comeback report draws upon Action for Market Towns’ (AMT’s) own detailed benchmarking snapshot of 26 towns, augmented with an objective summary of current independent research and debate. It shows the steps that local authorities and town councils, independent business owners, town groups, community partnerships and business forums need to do to revive town centres.

Work with supermarkets and multiple retailers

Crucially, the report shows examples of towns that have engaged supermarkets and multiple retailers (traders with a countrywide presence that are well-known household names)  with positive results and includes a 5-step guide showing what councillors, local business owners and town partnerships can do to improve their high streets:

1. Know your town – collect evidence, demonstrate effectiveness and communicate success – this will help you to lever in funding and raise the profile of your town.
2. Work with supermarkets and multiples – remember: “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”.
3. Collaborate and communicate – think of your town as a department store with a consistent message and brand – and its own unique attributes. Use town wide events and loyalty cards to market your town and encourage collaboration and cross promotion. “One good shop cannot save the High Street but a handful working together maybe can”.
4. Encourage entrepreneurialism and creativity
5. Give the customer what they want – “Successful traders don’t fear competition, but study their competitors, learn from them and find a niche to exploit, or unmet demand to tap into”.

AMT’s chief executive, Chris Wade, said:

“This report is part of AMT’s wider work with 400 member towns across the country to maintain local services and re-vitalise the High Street.  It shows what independently-owned shops and national chains can do by working together with support from policy makers.  We need to keep our town centres as vibrant places where everyone can do business.

“In Policy terms, one of the important things that AMT is looking for, is a strengthening of planning policy to encourage new stores to be located in the town centre.  There was a 36% increase in out-of-town stores in the last decade.  AMT understands that a government announcement on this ‘Town Centres First’ policy is due in the next few weeks.”

Chris added, “Our simple message is, one good shop cannot save the High Street but a handful working together maybe can.  This include the likes of Boots, Fat Face and Sainsbury’s, as much as anyone else!”

• Download the Town Centre Comeback report here (FREE to download for AMT members and £25 for non-members)

What next?

Chris Wade is available for interview about the Town Centre Comeback Report:

Chris Wade – chief executive of AMT, 07786 248207, chris.wade@towns.org.uk

Notes to editors:
1. Action for Market Towns works with and supports emerging Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities, Town Councils, Community and town partnerships, independent businesses and selected partner businesses dedicated to improving the vitality and viability of small towns through innovative solutions. AMT has a national network of around 400 members and can work with members and non members alike through our consulting arm amt-i.

2. amt-i is a social enterprise consultancy and can help with town centre performance through benchmarking, town marketing and loyalty cards in partnership with My Card, town centre services such as mystery shopping, visitor surveys, car parking and retail training. Find out more at www.towns.org.uk/amt-i

3. For press enquiries please contact Jamie Veitch on 07904 272 200 or email news@towns.org.uk